This unique documentary tells the story of globalization from the personal perspectives of Mexican maquiladora workers, approaching workers as "experts" who can provide us with keys to our common future, and inviting them to co-author their own story on videotape.

Over a six-week period the producers of MAQUILOPOLIS conducted a video workshop in Tijuana, training a group of promotoras (community activists) to use digital video cameras. The workshop covered filming techniques, sound recording, and ways to tell a story using the documentary medium. Participants made intimate video diaries and worked in teams to document their lives and their stories. The final piece will incorporate footage recorded during the workshop, giving the documentary subjects a voice in their own representation.

In addition, thanks to a grant from the Creative Work Fund, two cameras remain with Factor X, so that the promotoras can continue recording their visions of Tijuana and their lives. The project is seeking funding for an editing workshop to train the activists in the use of a non-linear editing system, and for grass-roots distribution of the film in Mexico and the U.S.

For images from the workshop, check out the “MEDIA” section of the web site. For more information on the history of the maquiladora system, click here.

all photos this page: darcy mckinnon